BAHAWALPUR: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday ordered police to arrest a station house officer (SHO) and sentenced him to six months in prison along with a fine of Rs200,000 for failing to produce a suspect in court.

ATC judge Malik Shabbir Awan had issued summons to SHO Muhammad Younus of Ahmedpur Lamma police station in Rahim Yar Khan district to produce a suspect nominated in a first information report (FIR) registered in the same police station on Saturday.

At the hearing, SHO Younus was present in the court but could not produce the suspect. At this, the ATC presiding officer ordered the SHO be handcuffed in his uniform and awarded him a six-month sentence along with a fine of Rs200,000 under Section 37-U of the ATA. In case of defaulting on the fine, the SHO will have to serve a further two months in prison.

On finding out about the sentence to the SHO, senior police and legal officials rushed to the ATC and submitted an apology on behalf of SHO Younus. But, according to sources, the ATC presiding officer sent the SHO to jail.

ACCIDENT: A driver was killed while another was seriously injured in a collision between two tractor trolleys on Bahawalpur Expressway near Uch Sharif, about 70 kilometres from here on Sunday.

According to police and Rescue 1122 sources, helper of a tractor trolley, Muhammad Akmal, said that his vehicle laden with fertiliser was on its way to Multan from Machi Goth near Sadiqabad. When it reached near Bahawalpur Ghalwan near Uch Sharif, another tractor trolley coming from the opposite direction smashed into it. His driver Tahir Shah was killed, while the driver of the other trolley suffered serious injuries.

Police officials reached the scene, shifted the body to Uch Sharif, while the injured driver was shifted to Jalalpur Peerwala health centre. Uch Sharif police registered a case and said that further legal proceedings were under way.

GIRL RECOVERED: The Saddar police on Sunday handed over a four-year-girl to her parents who came from Lahore.

According to police officials, Sabahat, 4, was travelling on the Awami Express to Azad Jammu and Kashmir from Karachi with her mother, who was sleeping on the upper berth. She accidentally fell out of the window at night and suffered injuries, but survived.

On receipt of information, Saddar Station House Officer Ghulam Rasool Bhatti took the girl into custody and provided her first aid.

The girl’s picture went viral on social media to search for her parents, who reached here on Sunday to recover her from police.

According to Punjab Food Minister Samiullah Chaudhry, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar appreciated the efforts of the Bahawalpur police. During a martyrs’ day function on Sunday, the minister presented commendation certificates and bouquets to the police officers, who nursed Sabahat and returned her to her parents.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2019